Follow Cal AthleticsCal Football E-NewsFacebookTwitter - Get real-time Cal football score updates and stats at all home games delivered right to your mobile phone by following Cal Athletics on Twitter, your official mobile news source of the Golden Bears. YouTube

CalBears.com: Visit CalBears.com for complete coverage of Cal football, including a live play-by-play update via Gametracker.

Cal Coaches Corner: The one-hour program airs from 6-7 p.m. each Monday on KNEW Radio (910) and is broadcast live from the Paragon at the Claremont Hotel, Club and Spa in Berkeley. Fans are welcome to listen in person at the Claremont (41 Tunnel Road in Berkeley), while those who want to submit questions to coach Tedford can do so by logging on at CalBears.com/fanquestion.

Cal Sports Report: Host Todd McKim and reporter Francesca Weems bring viewers the latest in Cal Athletics each week on the Cal Sports Report airing on CSN California this week on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. PT, Thursday at 7 p.m. PT, and Friday at 2 and 10 p.m. PT. The show normally debuts each week on Wednesday at 5 p.m. unless pre-empted by a live sports event and replays several times each week.

Kickoff - USC at Cal Thu., Oct. 13 (6:02 p.m. PT)
Cal will play its second consecutive nationally televised Thursday night contest on ESPN when the Bears host USC at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Oct. 13. After starting its 2011 season with three consecutive non-conference wins over Fresno State, at Colorado and vs. Presbyterian, the Bears have fallen in each of their first two Pac-12 contests at Washington and Oregon. Cal is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-12, sitting in sixth place in the conference's South Division.
USC, who is ineligible for postseason play in 2011 for the second consecutive season due to its NCAA probation, is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in Pac-12 play. Currently tied for second in the conference's South Division, the Trojans are coming off a bye after a victory over Arizona on Oct. 1. USC opened its season with three straight home wins over Minnesota, Utah in the inaugural Pac-12 game, and Syracuse. The Trojans then traveled to Arizona State, where they dropped the only road contest they have played this season.
USC holds an all-time 63-30-5 lead over the 98 times the teams have played. The Trojans also have a current seven-game win streak, with the last Cal victory the memorable 34-31 three-overtime triumph over the Trojans in Berkeley on Sept. 27, 2003. The Bears have had trouble scoring points against USC during the seven-game skid, averaging only 10.4 points per contest with a high of 17. Over the same period, USC has averaged 28.6 points per game in the series. Cal's longest win streak in the series came when the Bears won six in a row against the Trojans from 1918-24.
Detailed information on the Cal-USC series is located on page 32.

Key Matchup: USC Passing Game vs. Cal Pass Defense
A key to being successful for Cal will be to find a way to contain a USC passing game that ranks third in the Pac-12 and 15th nationally by averaging 317.80 yards per game through the air. The Bears are second in the Pac-12 in pass defense but 74th nationally, allowing 228.40 yards per game.

Annual Joe Roth Memorial Game
Every season since 1977, Cal has designated its home contest against either UCLA or USC as the Joe Roth Memorial Game. The designation honors the memory of the former Cal quarterback who passed away from cancer in 1977.
Roth starred for the Golden Bears during the 1975 and `76 seasons, helping Cal to a share of the 1975 Pac-8 title. Roth played his last game, the Japan Bowl, 34 days before his death and completed 5-of-6 passes for 75 yards. The Japan Bowl later named its MVP Award after Roth.
Roth's No. 12 is the only football jersey retired in the history of Cal football. The University offers a scholarship in his name and the football team has an annual Joe Roth Award.
For more information on Roth, visit joeroth12.com.

Five Games, Five Stadiums
Cal has played its first five games of the 2011 season in five different stadiums as the Golden Bears' home Memorial Stadium is going through a renovation and retrofit. Thursday's game against USC at AT&T Park will be the second at the venue this season and end that run.

Weeknight Games
Cal's home game vs. USC this Thursday is the second of three weeknight games the Bears have in 2011, equaling the total of three they played during Jeff Tedford's first nine seasons as head coach. In addition to last Thursday night's game at Oregon and the USC contest Thursday, Cal will close out its regular season at Arizona State on Friday, Nov. 25. Below is how Cal has fared in each of its four weeknight outings in the Tedford era.

Sustained Success
Cal averaged 8.0 wins per year in the first nine seasons (2002-10) under head coach Jeff Tedford and ranked tied for third among Pac-10 teams in victories during that period.

Cal After 0-2 Conference Starts
Cal has dropped its first two conference games only once in the Jeff Tedford era, falling at Oregon and then at home to USC in 2009. In that season, the Bears rebounded to win three Pac-10 games in a row and five of their next six, including the back-to-back victories vs. No. 18 Arizona and at No. 14 Stanford. Cal finished that season 8-5 overall and 5-4 in the Pac-10, falling in the Poinsettia Bowl to Utah.

Cal Offense Much Improved in 2011
Cal's offense has improved significantly through the team's first five games of 2011. Below is a look at numbers in four key categories over the past two seasons.

All-American Allen
The time has arrived to consider Keenan Allen for All-American honors.
Allen has proven his worth on the field as he leads the team in receptions (39), receiving yards (668), yards per catch (17.1 ypc) and touchdown receptions (4). His per-game numbers of 133.60 receiving yards and 7.8 receptions per contest are both second in the Pac-12 behind USC's Robert Woods, while his four 100-yard receiving games are equal to Woods' number. Nationally, Allen ranks sixth in receiving yards and tied for 11th in receptions per game.
Allen was also on the receiving end of a school record and the longest pass play of the season by a Pac-12 player at Washington when he caught a ball from Zach Maynard 90-yard touchdown. Allen finished with career highs of 10 catches and 197 receiving yards (fifth all-time at Cal) in the contest, with the 197 receiving yards marking the fourth most by a Pac-12 player in 2011.
The versatile Allen also paces the club with 696 all-purpose yards and an average of 139.2 per game that ranks sixth in the Pac-12 and 36th nationally. In addition to his receiving totals, he has rushed three times for 21 yards, completed a 27-yard pass to Zach Maynard the only time he attempted to throw and also returned one punt for seven yards.

Jones Having another Big Season Marvin Jones, who has led the team in both receptions and receiving yards each of the past two seasons, is having another big season despite currently being second on the club behind Keenan Allen with 29 receptions, 441 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. All of Jones' numbers have him on pace to easily surpass the career highs of 50 receptions, 756 receiving yards and six touchdown catches he posted as a 2010 junior. His average of 15.2 yards per catch is also second among the team's regular receivers and the same as his career average.
Jones is fifth in the Pac-12 with his per game numbers in both receiving yards (88.20) and receptions (5.80), ranking 40th and 45th nationally in the two categories, respectively.

Allen Reaches Milestone, Jones Closing in on Several
In his most recent contest at Oregon and his 16th career game at Cal, Keenan Allen equaled DeSean Jackson as the fastest Golden Bear to reach 1,000 career receiving yards. The 668 receiving yards Allen has totaled in the first five games of his 2011 sophomore season have already easily surpassed the 490 he had in 11 games during his 2010 true freshman campaign. Marvin Jones is also closing in on both the 2,000-yard career receiving mark as well as the school's all-time top-10 in both receptions and receiving yards. He is Cal's active career leader in receptions (123), receiving yards (1,865) and receiving touchdowns (13). The 13 touchdown catches are already tied for eighth on the school's all-time list, while the receptions are only 13 shy of the top 10 and the receiving yards 182 away from the record book.

Jones and Allen Catch StreaksMarvin Jones and Keenan Allen both have current streaks in which they have made at least one reception in a game. Jones has a streak of 30 straight contests with a catch spanning every Cal contest played the last three years. Allen's run covers each of the 16 games he has played since 2010.

Allen vs. USC's Robert Woods Keenan Allen will play on the same field as the only player in the Pac-12 to rank ahead of him in the conference statistics in both receptions and receiving yards. USC's Robert Woods has 55 catches for 747 yards and six touchdowns in his first three games, with his per-game numbers in receptions (11.00) and receiving yards (159.00) both leading the country.

Fans Can Vote Allen for Paul Hornung Award
As of Monday, October 10, Keenan Allen has moved up one spot in the last week to second in fan voting for the Paul Hornung Award. Allen's 436 votes trail only Georgia's Brandon Boykin (519).
Fans can vote by visiting www.votepaulhornungaward.com. Fans' selections on this page will count as one vote and be added to the votes cast by the 16-member selection committee.

Sofele Next in Line of Successful Cal TailbacksIsi Sofele has established himself as the next Cal tailback to take a shot at the 1,000-yard rushing mark that a Golden Bear has reached in eight of the last nine campaigns. Sofele is well on his way, having already rushed for a career high 499 yards in his first five games of 2011, with his 99.8 yard per-game average ranking fourth in the Pac-12 and 28th nationally. Sofele has posted at least 84 yards rushing per contest in each of the past five games, something that Cal's most recent tailback standout Shane Vereen, a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2011 NFL Draft, was never able to accomplish during his illustrious Cal career. Jahvid Best, a first-round NFL Draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 2010, was the last Cal player to have 84 or more rushing yards in more than five straight games when he tallied at least 116 yards for seven consecutive games spanning the final four contests of 2008 and the first three of 2009. Sofele is currently on pace for 1,198 yards rushing in 12 regular-season games, which even without a potential bowl game would give him the seventh-best single-season rushing mark ever at Cal. Sofele also has an impressive average of 5.5 yards per carry that tops the 5.1 averaged by Vereen in 2010.
Sofele had a career-best 119 yards on a season-low 12 carries in his most recent contest at Oregon, averaging a season-high 9.9 yards per rush that was the third-best of his career.
Cal's string of seven straight campaigns in which a running back gained over 1,000 yards rushing ended in 2009 when Vereen's then career-high and team-leading total of 952 yards fell just short, with Best adding 867 despite missing the final four games due to injury. But Vereen started a new streak in 2010 with a career-high total of 1,167 yards on the ground.

Maynard's First Five Games
Five games into his career as Cal's starting quarterback, Zach Maynard has completed 92-of-179 passes for 1,291 yards, with 11 touchdown throws and three interceptions for a 128.91 passer efficiency rating that would be eighth on Cal's all-time list. He also has several memorable plays, including a school-record 90-yard pass completion to Keenan Allen at Washington, a 43-yard run vs. Fresno State and a 27-yard reception from Allen at Colorado.
Maynard has thrown for at least 200 yards, as well as completed 15 passes with at least one for a touchdown, in each of his five starts.

Anger Back to Near 2010 Record-Setting NumbersBryan Anger, who broke a 23-year-old single-season Cal record with a 45.6 yard punting average in 2010, has moved up 48 spots from where he was after the season opener into the No. 15 position nationally with a 44.38 yard per punt average that is also the third highest in the Pac-12. Anger is near the record-setting numbers he posted a year ago despite that rare off week in the season-opener vs. Fresno State when he averaged only 35.5 yards per punt on six attempts. In 15 attempts since, he has averaged 47.9 yards per punt, with seven of those punts going for 50 yards or more including at least one in each of the past four contests and a season-long-tying 59-yarder in his most recent outing at Oregon. Anger has twice selected been selected as an honorable mention Punter Performer of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards, picking up the honor for his showings at Colorado when he averaged 51.0 yards per punt on four attempts to mark the sixth time in his illustrious career that he has averaged 50.0 or more yards in a game, and then again at Washington when he averaged 49.7 yards on three punts.
Now in his fourth season as Cal's starting punter, Anger has punted 223 times for 9,681 yards and an average of 43.4 yards per punt, which is second all-time at Cal and just shy of Tabor's career record of 44.0 from 1986-87.

Kendricks and Holt in Tight Battle for Team Tackle LeadMychal Kendricks and D.J. Holt have been in a tight battle for the team lead in tackles, with Kendricks' 41 currently one ahead of the 40 posted by his fellow senior linebacker Holt.
Kendricks also paces the squad with 4.0 tackles for loss (-19 yards) and is one of three players tied for the team lead with one fumble recovery, which he picked up at Washington along with a career-high-tying 15 tackles. Kendricks is among the Pac-12 and national per-game leaders in tackles (8.20 tpg, 4th Pac-12, T-70th NCAA) with Holt just behind him (8.00 tpg, T-5th Pac-12, T-82nd NCAA) after recording a game and season-high 11 stops in his most recent contest to close the gap.
Kendricks has played in all 43 games possible and made 22 starts during his career at Cal. He is the Bears' active career leader in tackles (193), tackles for loss (26.0), sacks (11.5) and fumble recoveries (6), while tying for team's active career lead in blocked kicks (1). The national honors candidate was Cal's most decorated player in the 2011 preseason and is on watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, College Football Performance Awards Linebacker Trophy, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.
Holt, who is looking to lead the squad in tackles for the first time after ranking second with 85 in 2010 behind leader Mike Mohamed, is second among active Cal players with 176 career tackles. He also has three career forced fumbles that are the most by any active Cal player, two fumble recoveries that tie for second, 13.0 tackles for loss that are third and his seven pass breakups that are tied for fifth. He has played in 42 consecutive games after not playing in the first contest of his 2007 redshirt freshman season, and has started all 17 games possible over the last two campaigns and 25 overall.

Tavecchio Campbell Semifinalist/NFF Scholar-Athlete Award Candidate
The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame announced on Sept. 29 that Giorgio Tavecchio is a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy often referred to as the "Academic Heisman" and a candidate for the 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Tavecchio's selection continues Cal's strong tradition with the NFF honors in recent years. In 2008, Alex Mack won the Campbell Trophy (named the Draddy Trophy at the time). Mike Mohamed was one of 16 Campbell Trophy finalists in 2010. Both were recipients of an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award.
Tavecchio has an interesting Cal football story, having joined the Bears as a walk-on three days before the 2008 season-opener against Michigan State and then handling the team's kickoff duties against the Spartans in his first collegiate contest. He has played a primary role in the team's kicking ever since and been a full-time starter each of the past two campaigns.
On the field, Tavecchio has played in 38 games at Cal over the past three-plus seasons and is the Golden Bears' active career leader with 201 points, making 36-of-50 (72.0%) field goal attempts and 93-of-98 (94.9%) extra-point tries. After the first five games of his 2011 senior season, Tavecchio is now only nine points shy of reaching Cal's all-time top-10 list in scoring. He has also kicked off 203 times for 12,172 kickoff yards and an average of 60.0 yards per kickoff with 12 touchbacks, leading all active Cal players in each category. Tavecchio made the first 65 extra-point tries of his career before the streak was snapped on his second PAT attempt in the seventh game of his junior year against Arizona State.
Tavecchio made his first eight field goal attempts in 2011, including his first three at Oregon before having a 40-yarder blocked on the final play of the first half. He is now 8-of-9 on the season, including a 54-yarder at Washington that was the longest of his career and the longest by a Pac-12 player this season. He leads Cal in scoring with 39 points.
In the classroom, Tavecchio has a 3.711 cumulative GPA and is on track to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Political Economy in May of 2012. He has earned second-team Pac-10 All-Academic honors each of the last two seasons in 2009 and `10.
In terms of community service Tavecchio has been off the charts, with his activities including ...
 Taking part in the SAGE mentorship program which provides Cal students as mentors for elementary school children in local public schools
 Working with high school kickers in his hometown area
 Volunteering at the St. Mary's Center working in the soup kitchen
 Sponsoring a poor child in Honduras through Compassion International
 Participation with Athletes in Action, including going on "PB&J giveaways" where the group makes PB&J sandwiches and gives them away to homeless in the Berkeley area
 Taking part in a COPWATCH (community-based police accountability) decal class in which homeless individuals were educated about their rights and Berkeley civic law
 Tutoring Italian student-athletes at Cal
 Volunteering at a local Catholic church to help with confirmation

Bears as the Best, against the Best
The Bears are 15-8 when playing as a top-10 team and 36-21 when ranked in the top 25 of at least one set of rankings since head coach Jeff Tedford took over in 2002. Cal has played 31 nationally ranked teams during the Tedford era and posted a 13-18 record in those contests, with the Bears game at Oregon last Thursday their only against a ranked team to this point in 2011. Cal is 0-3 under Tedford against No. 1 ranked teams, most recently falling 15-13 to Oregon at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 13, 2010. Cal also lost 35-10 to USC at Memorial Stadium in 2005 and 23-17 to the Trojans in 2004 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In 2009, the Bears recorded back-to-back wins in consecutive weeks over nationally ranked teams for the first time since 1950, defeating No. 18 Arizona (Nov. 14) before winning at No. 14 Stanford (Nov. 21). Cal has dropped four consecutive games against ranked teams since, falling to No. 23 Utah in the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl, last season to No. 6 Stanford and the top-ranked Ducks, and then to Oregon again in 2011. Cal has dropped nine straight games to top-10 teams since a 34-31 triple-overtime victory against third-ranked USC in Berkeley on Sept. 27, 2003.

National Rankings
Prior to the 2011 campaign, Cal has been ranked among the nation's top 25 teams at one point in each of the previous seven seasons and eight times in nine campaigns from 2002-10. The Bears have yet to be ranked in 2011 but were among teams receiving votes in the USA Today poll twice in weeks three and four, and the AP Top 25 in week four. Cal has opened a campaign ranked nationally five times during the first 10 seasons under head coach Jeff Tedford, with the highest preseason ranking coming in 2006 at No. 9 by AP (No. 12 USA Today). The Bears have also been ranked as high as No. 12 by both AP and USA Today to begin the 2007 and 2009 seasons. In 2004, AP started the Bears at No. 13 (No. 15 USA Today), and Cal opened 2005 ranked No. 19 by AP (No. 20 USA Today).

Tedford Sets Cal's Career Wins Mark
Head coach Jeff Tedford became Cal's all-time leader for victories when he recorded his 75th career victory against Presbyterian at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Sept. 17, 2011. Tedford moved past former leader Andy Smith (74, 1916-25). Tedford, who is now 75-44 (.630) all-time at Cal, became the school's all-time leader in games coached in 2010.

Big Plays Are Back
Big plays have returned to the Cal offense in 2011. The Bears have had 34 plays (25 passing, nine rushing) from the line of scrimmage that have covered 20 or more yards in 2011, nearly already reaching the total of 39 the Bears posted in 12 regular season games all of last year. With an average of 6.8 plays per game covering 20 or more yards in its first five contests of 2011, Cal is also ahead of the pace of a stellar big-play season in 2009 when the Golden Bears had 72 plays that covered at least 20 yards for an average of 5.5 plays per game. Zach Maynard has been involved in a team-high 23 of the 34 plays this season, while other big-play playmakers on offense have included Keenan Allen (12), Isi Sofele (9), Marvin Jones (7), Allan Bridgford (3), Anthony Miller (2) and Michael Calvin (2). Below is a detailed look at the 34 plays from the line of scrimmage that have gone for at least 20 yards in 2011.

Big Plays Are Back ... On Defense, Too
For the second consecutive season, Cal is among the conference and national leaders in sacks. Through the first five games of 2011, the Bears rank second in the Pac-12 and 10th nationally in sacks per game (3.00). A year ago, Cal led the Pac-10 in sacks per game, while ranking No. 13 nationally (2.83). Cal's tackles for loss numbers are way up in 2011 as the Bears rank lead the Pac-12 and rank 14th nationally (7.80). Last year, Cal was sixth in the Pac-10 and 42nd nationally (6.33).

Defense Makes Marks in Record Book
Cal's defense put up a performance for the record books against Presbyterian as the Bears allowed only 48 total yards. The 48 yards allowed were the fifth-fewest in school history, while Presbyterian's three first downs were the third-fewest all-time by a Cal opponent and the least since the "Bear Minimum" defense held San Jose State to a single first down on Oct. 5, 1968.

Veteran Offensive Line Now at 110 Combined Starts
The Bears' 2011 offensive line features several players with a significant amount of experience as the five members of the group that have each started all of the team's first five games in 2011 have now combined to make 110 collegiate starts in Mitchell Schwartz (43), Justin Cheadle (27), Brian Schwenke (17), Matt Summers-Gavin (17) and Dominic Galas (6).

Opponents Making Mistakes against Bears
Cal's opponents have been racked up more penalty yards per game than any other Pac-12 team's opponents, with Cal's competitors being flagged 47 times for 423 yards (84.6 ypg).

Score 30 or More Points, Usually Win
Cal is 58-5 all-time when putting 30 points or more on the scoreboard under head coach Jeff Tedford, with a 3-0 mark in 2011 after victories over Fresno State (36), Colorado (36) and Presbyterian (63). The Bears had won 30 consecutive games when they scored at least 30 points prior to a 52-31 loss at Nevada on Sept. 17, 2010. When the Bears don't score at least 30 points, their record under Tedford is 17-39, including an 0-2 mark in 2011 with losses at Washington (23) and Oregon (15).

On the Tube
Cal has played on television in 59 of its last 61 games, with the team's only two non-televised games during the span home contests vs. Washington State (Oct. 24, 2009) and Presbyterian (Sept. 17, 2011). A total of 99 games have been televised in the first nine-plus seasons under head coach Jeff Tedford through the team's most recent contest at Washington.

Turnover Margin a Key But Not Following Trend
The turnover battle has been emphasized since head coach Jeff Tedford's arrival in 2002 and rightly so. The Bears are 42-8 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents during the Tedford era, compared to 17-10 when tied and 16-26 when opponents win the battle. In conference games, Cal is 25-6 with a positive margin in turnovers, 10-7 when the turnover table is tied and 9-22 with a deficit. However, the numbers in 2011 have actually not followed the trend. Cal won the turnover battle only once (against Presbyterian) in its three victories but both times in its two losses.

Bowling and Winning Bears
Cal's school-record bowl game streak of seven consecutive seasons from 2003-09 finally came to an end in 2010 when the Bears finished 5-7, which also ended the team's school-record-tying string of eight straight winning campaigns. Cal posted a 5-2 (.714) record during its seven consecutive bowl appearances that also included a school-record four straight bowl wins from 2005-08. The Bears were 67-35 (.657) overall during their eight winning seasons in a row.

Pac-12 Time of Possession Leader
Cal has moved into the lead in the Pac-10 for the first time this season with an average time of possession of 32:26. Cal has outpossessed its opponent in four of its first five games in 2011, including a whopping advantage against Presbyterian (40:23 - 19:37).

Notable Numbers Against USC
 Keenan Allen, Giorgio Tavecchio and Vincenzo D'Amato are the only current Cal players to have scored against USC. Allen scored on an eight-yard touchdown reception at USC in 2010, while Tavecchio has five points in the same contest and made a 35-yard field goal when the teams met in 2008. The 2008 field goal is Tavecchio's only attempt against USC. D'Amato's career-long 47-yard field goal at Oregon in 2009 were Cal's only points in the contest. Tavecchio has also kicked off five times for 317 yards and a 63.4 yard average against USC, while D'Amato has kicked off twice for 119 yards and a 59.9 average.
 No current Cal player has quarterbacked against the Trojans.
 Several Cal players have caught passes vs. USC - Jones (6-73), Miller (5-77), Allen (4-61, TD), Calvin (1-26) and Sofele (1-(-1).
 Bryan Anger has a career 40.8 yard punting average on 20 punts.
 Coleman Edmond has returned a pair of kicks for 48 yards, both in 2010.
 Mychal Kendricks has put up the top defensive numbers of any current Cal player, totaling 14 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
 Josh Hill (11) also has career double-digit tackles, with big plays coming from D.J. Campbell (1.0 sack, 1.0 TFL), Hill (2 PBU) and Steve Williams (1 PBU).
 Aaron Tipoti has eight of his 40 career tackles against USC, along with 1.0 of his 2.0 career tackle for losses and his lone forced fumble. Tipoti has had four tackles in each of the two games he played against USC in 2009 and `10, adding the TFL and forced fumble in 2010.

Cal in the NFL
A total of 215 former Cal football players have been drafted or have experience on an AAFC, AFL or NFL roster as of Oct. 10, 2011, including 31 players that are currently on NFL rosters according to ESPN.com, which is the second-most among Pac-12 schools behind only USC. A complete listing of former Cal players in the NFL and more information about their professional football careers is located on pages 24-25.

Rodgers and Bishop Super Bowl Champs; Rodgers MVP
Former Cal football players Aaron Rodgers and Desmond Bishop are reigning Super Bowl champions after the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25, at Cowboys Stadium in Super Bowl XLV. Rodgers was the first former Cal player to be named the game's MVP, and is also the first of the record four former Cal quarterbacks to start the game to be victorious.
"I watched the game with great pride and admiration for what Aaron and Desmond accomplished," head coach Jeff Tedford said. "They are two class individuals who did a lot for Cal and have continued their growth as leaders and major contributors to the World Champions!"
The appearance of Rodgers and Bishop marked the 10th consecutive season Cal has had at least one player on a Super Bowl roster.

Four 2011 Selections Add To Cal's Strong NFL Draft History
Four former Cal players were selected during the 2011 NFL Draft. Cameron Jordan was the first Bear picked when he was taken in the first round by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 24 overall pick. Shane Vereen and Chris Conte were selected on the draft's second day, with Vereen going to the New England Patriots in the second round (No. 56 overall) and Conte being chosen in the third round by the Chicago Bears (No. 93 overall). Mike Mohamed rounded out Cal's selections when he was picked up on the final day of the draft by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round (No. 189 overall).
"I'm happy for all these guys," head coach Jeff Tedford said. "All of them are really, really happy. It's gratifying to me for the reason that they entrusted their careers to come to Cal to see their dreams come true." Cal Draft Notes: Cal's four players selected in 2011 were the most Bears taken in an NFL Draft since six were picked in 2008 ... Cal had three players in the top 100 to rank tied for sixth among schools nationally ... Cal has had 36 NFL Draft selections in the last 10 drafts ... Jordan was Cal's 26th first-round pick and the eighth in the last 10 drafts ... Jordan became the second consecutive defensive lineman chosen from Cal in the first round in as many years, joining the No. 10 overall selection of Tyson Alualu by Jacksonville in 2010 and making the Cal only the second team in the Pac-12 to have ever had defensive linemen selected in the first round in back-to-back drafts (USC is the other) ... Cal has had four first-round draft picks in the last three drafts, with at least one in all three.

Academic Prowess Continues
Cal has posted 94 Pac-10 All-Academic honors from 2002-10 under head coach Jeff Tedford, second-most in the conference during that span. Mike Mohamed was named a first-team Pac-10 All-Academic selection for the third time in 2010, leading a group of 11 Cal student-athletes honored on the Pac-10 All-Academic Football Team. Cal's second-team selections included Alex Lagemann, Ernest Owusu, Giorgio Tavecchio and John Tyndall. Justin Cheadle, Richard Fisher, Chris Guarnero, Mitchell Schwartz, Matt Summers-Gavin and Beau Sweeney were selected honorable mention.
In 2008, Alex Mack earned the Draddy Trophy (later renamed the Campbell Trophy) honoring college football's top scholar-athlete, while Mohamed was a finalist for the honor often referred to as the "academic Heisman" in 2010 after earlier being given an NFF Scholar-Athlete Award.

2011 National Signing Day
Cal signed 11 prep All-Americans and 22 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to join the Cal football program on National Signing Day on February 2, 2011. Cal's 2011 signing class ranked as high as No. 13 according to according to Athlon. Scout had Cal at No. 14 and Rivals at No. 17, while ESPN listed the Bears at No. 18 and MaxPreps at No. 20.
"We are excited about the student-athletes that we have signed in our 2011 recruiting class," head coach Jeff Tedford said. "We feel like the members of this class will be able to fill some of the needs we have on both sides of the ball in an expedient fashion. Many of the players are among the nationally elite at their respective positions and will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact on the Cal football program."
The 2011 class included six players who were selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl - LB Jason Gibson (Gardena, CA/Junipero Serra HS), DB Stefan McClure (Vista, CA/Vista HS), DL Viliami Moala (Sacramento, CA/Grant HS), OL Jordan Rigsbee (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS), DL Brennan Scarlett (Portland, OR/Central Catholic HS) and DB Avery Sebastian (McDonough, GA/Eagle's Landing Christian HS). DL Todd Barr (Lakewood, CA/Lakewood HS) played in the Under Armour All-America Game.

Media Picks Cal To Finish Fifth in Pac-12 North
Cal was picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North in a preseason poll of media members who regularly cover the league. Defending Pac-12 champion Oregon was the choice to win the 2011 Pac-12 Conference football title. The Ducks were also listed in the top spot in the North Division by 29 of the 42 voters participating in the poll, collecting 239 points. USC was picked to win the South Division with 230 points, edging out Arizona State, which tallied 207 points. Arizona State collected 13 first-place votes in the division race, with three of the pollsters predicting a Pac-12 Championship crown for the Sun Devils. The media poll has correctly selected the conference champion in 27 of 50 previous polls, including 10 of the last 11.

Cal Makes AT&T Park Home in 2011; Back to Berkeley in 2012
After playing the last 88 seasons and every home game at Memorial Stadium since the facility opened for the 1923 Big Game, Cal will host its home games outside of Berkeley for the first time in 2011 while Memorial Stadium undergoes an extensive renovation and retrofit.
Cal's 2011 home schedule at San Francisco's AT&T Park has remaining visits from Pac-12 rival USC on Thursday, Oct. 13 (6 p.m. PT) and conference newcomer Utah on Saturday, Oct. 22. The game against USC will be a live national telecast on ESPN 3D. The Bears will also host Pac-12 foes Washington State (Saturday, Nov. 5) and Oregon State (Saturday, Nov. 12). Starting times for all games other than USC will be announced at later dates when the information becomes available, as will television broadcast information.

Cal in Pac-12 North in 2011; New Conference Media Rights Deal
The Pac-12 has taken major steps to transform itself into a dynamic new enterprise by forming two football divisions that maintain traditional rivalries, creating the first-ever Pac-12 Championship Game, establishing schedule models for all other sports and agreeing to move to an equal revenue sharing plan for the first time in conference history on Oct. 21, 2010. The Chancellors and Presidents of the 12 member institutions voted to create a new North-South division structure that allows the conference to continue to play its traditional rivalry games, including the long-standing annual games among the California schools, delivers a football championship game to the home field of the top team in the regular-season conference standings and is easy for fans to follow. The new divisions will feature California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington and Washington State in the North; and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah in the South. Each school will play five divisional games and four cross-divisional games each year. To preserve all of the historic rivalries, including those among the California schools, the new scheduling format locks in annual inter-divisional games between Northern and Southern California teams that date back to the 1930s.
On May 4, 2011, the Pac-12 announced it is teaming up with ESPN and FOX Sports Media Group on a landmark agreement for a broadcast and national cable television package that extends and expands long-time partnerships with both companies. At the same time, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced the creation of a new media company, Pac-12 Media Enterprises, which will own the Pac-12 Network, the Pac-12 Digital Network, and Pac-12 Properties. This new company will control and distribute on its platforms and on all devices, the Pac-12 games not licensed to ESPN and FOX Sports, and will hold other media and event rights. This entity will be wholly owned and controlled by the Pac-12 Conference and will exist side-by-side with the newly announced ESPN and FOX Sports arrangements.
Although terms of the ESPN and Fox Sports agreements were not disclosed, Scott called it a "landmark deal" on several fronts. He pointed out that the Pac-12's member institutions would, for the first time ever, share equally in the revenue from the new arrangement, and that the equal revenue distribution would start immediately when the deal goes into effect in 2012.

California Memorial Stadium Renovation
Since it opened in the fall of 1923, California Memorial Stadium has generated scores of unforgettable memories for generations of Golden Bears. From the Wonder Teams of the 1920s to the Pappy Waldorf years mid-century to the current success attained under head coach Jeff Tedford, the venerable facility has treated fans of all ages to many of the greatest games in the history of Cal football. Work has been underway since June 2010 to renovate the historic building, bringing it up to modern standards and creating a facility that will significantly reduce seismic risk and create a more enjoyable environment for the hundreds of thousands of fans who attend games every year - all while maintaining the architecture and character of the celebrated structure. Construction on the $321 million project is expected to be completed in time for the 2012 season opener.
By Feb. 1, the old press box had been removed, as had all of the west-side seating and concrete below the mezzanine level. Late April signaled the end of the demolition phase and beginning of construction, with only the historic facade remaining on the west side of the facility. Now, four tower cranes rise from what was the field, and the stadium is beginning to take shape with the framework for the press box recently put into place after being built on the stadium floor.
The Golden Bears are scheduled to return to their on-campus facility in September 2012 after playing their home games at AT&T Park this season. Fans can follow daily progress through a webcam stationed high above the eastern rim at CalBears.com/stadiumcam or by visiting Vista Point on Stadium Rim Way also on the east side, and open to the public during regular construction hours.
When Memorial Stadium reopens, the facility will have a capacity of approximately 63,000 and feature modernized gameday facilities and services, upgraded access for the disabled and improved seismic safety.
Cal defeated Stanford, 9-0, in the first game played in Memorial Stadium on Nov. 24, 1923. The Bears compiled a 317-213-16 (.596) in 88 seasons in the venue from 1923-2010. The last game played in the old configuration of Memorial Stadium was a 16-13 loss to Washington on Nov. 27, 2010.

Student-Athlete High Performance Center
Cal's Student-Athlete High Performance Center, which will house football and 12 other sports on a daily basis, opens the week of Oct. 11, 2011, after more than two years of construction. The month of September was used to get the Olympic wing ready for occupancy, such as bringing in furniture, establishing phone service, and setting up computers and other technology requirements. Move-ins will be conducted in phases, starting with all sports and administrative units that will be housed in the Olympic wing.
Football, due to the size of its operation, will move its temporary headquarters just east of Memorial Stadium in December or January contingent upon its bowl game schedule and full building completion. Final phase construction will continue throughout many portions of the building, much of it in the football offices and the central High Performance Zone, throughout most of the fall.
The SAHPC is a revolutionary student-athlete training, coaching, and applied sports science and sports medicine center that embodies the High Performance Initiative (see CalHighPerformance.com), Cal's innovative performance philosophy designed to build competitive advantage, maximize efficiency and enhance the student-athlete experience.
A 142,000 square-foot facility, the SAHPC is a state-of-the-art complex with year-round access for over 450 student-athletes.

Active Players in Cal Record Book
The following active players are listed in the Cal record book. For career categories, the all-time leader and anybody that an active player could reasonably reach of pass during the game vs. USC on Oct. 13, 2011, are also listed. Look for Keenan Allen (career 100-yard receiving games), Sean Cattouse (career interceptions), Marvin Jones (career receptions, career receiving yards) and Giorgio Tavecchio (career points scored) to soon find their place in Cal's all-time record book. A full list of records can be found on pages 169-198 of the 2011 Cal football information guide online at CalBears.com.